My wife and I are huge BBQ fans and whenever we visit a new town and get hungry we always search out the local cuisine rather than eating at the national chain store eateries. We find great fun when exploring a states small towns in discovering what the local resturaunt entrupenuers are doing and its amazing what you stumble across sometimes.

We recently found ourselves in Oskaloosa, Iowa located in the S.E. part of the state around lunch time and we stopped at Big Ed's BBQ located in the S.W. corner of the downtown square. We noticed the lunch special of the day was for a plate of BBQ'd Rib Ends and a side of your choice for $5.00 and some change.

Being disappointed before with the so-called cheap lunch specials I was not really expecting much when I ordered the special and a side of German potatoe salad. Even the name of the dish "Rib Ends" sounded like I might be getting something left over from the real deal. However......was I in for the surprise of my BBQ dining life. The warm German Potatoe salad was absolutely heavenly and the full plate of BBQ'd Rib Ends that were placed in front of me was beyond fantastic. Meaty and tender the meat just practically fell off the bones and Big Ed's home made sauce was to die for. My wife and I walked out of Big Ed's absolutely stuffed. We raved about the BBQ experience we just had practically half way home. I felt the meal was worth twice what Big Ed charges for it in quality, quantity, and flavor and left a tip that nearly doubled the cost of the meal.

Big Ed definitely outdoes "Famous Daves" and "When Pigs Fly" in Des Moines, Iowa hands down. In fact I would not hesitate to drive the 50+ miles one way to dine at Big Ed's again.

So next time you are looking for great BBQ and are within 50 miles of Oskaloosa, Iowa be sure to check out Big ED's. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for your reply CanadaBBQGuy!
I don't usually rave about a dining experience enough to actually take the time to sit down and write about it, but this experience was exceptional and I felt deserved some notoriety. Big Ed's is not a place you would go if you are looking for a candle light dinner with the wife. The decor is the typical small town diner atmosphere. But if you are looking for BBQ that is out of this world it is the place to go.
Harkrib